Method and apparatus for tempering the sheet source in sheet-glass-drawing machines.



l 1. W..00LBURN. METHOD AND APPARATUS POR TEMPERING'THE SHEET SOURCE IN SHEET GLASS DRAWINGMAGHINES.

Patented Aug.9l,1910.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT; 28, 1908.

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l INVENTQP I. W. GOLEUEN. g METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR TEMPBRING THE SHEET SOURCE 1N SHEET GLASS DRAWING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 28,-1908. v 966,653, Patented Aug.9,1910.

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1. W. COLBUEN. Y METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR TEMPERING THE SHET SOURCE4 IN SHEET GLASS DRAWING MGHINES.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT.'28, 190B.

Patented Aug. 9, i910.

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IRVING W. ooLIiURN, or FRANKLIN, PENNSYLVANIA, A ssIeNoR To COLBURN MACHINE .GLASS COMPANY, OF FRANKLIN, PENNSYLVANIA, l.A CORPORATION OF Nnvg JERSEY;

1 METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR TEMPERING THE SHEET SOURCE IN SHEET-GLASS- i DRAWING MACHINES.

Patented Aug. 9, 1910.

/ Application filed September 28, 1908. Serial No. 455,047. I

To all 'whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, IRvINo 'VV.- COLBURN, of Franklin, Pennsylvania, have invented ya new and useful Method and Apparatus for 5 Temperin the Sheet Source in Sheet-Glass- Drawing set forth in the following specification.

This inventionrelates to the art of drawing glass in sheet form from a mass of molten glass, and more particularly, it relates to a method and apparatus for tempering the 'molten mass at and adjacent to that portion`of its area from'which the sheet is drawn, an'd lwhich area; is hereinaftertermed the sheet source.

-I have found from practical experience that it is a matten of some considerable' difliculty to produce the requisite and desired temper in a mass of molten glass to secure the vbest .results when drawing a sheet of lass therefrom solely by the application ot.

' eat-generating means and the regulation of such means. For reasons which it is not `v :necessary here to enumerate, the molten mass r of 'lass is liable to vary in temperature at di erent portions of the mass, and this iva-f Y vriationin temperature at the' different parts of themolten4 lass",from Ywhich the sheet is drawn is liab e, unless very reat care is exercised, to producea drawn s eet'of glass vwhich is not of uniform thickness.4

' By the present invention, instead o f regulatingthe temperature ofthe molten mass` from which thesheet is drawn by regulating the su 'ply of heat applied to the molten glass, superheat said' mass `as a whole, that 41s, heat it as a Whole somewhat above the `-degree of temperature which it is desired the JKsheet source shall have in drawing thev sheet, and I then produce the proper temperaturey in that ortionof the molten mass of glass 4from W 'ich' the sheet is drawn, z'. c., the ..sheet Source, by cooling the sheet source toA a proper working degree, and thepresent 45 invention consists of a method and appara- I tus .for accomplishing this result.

Any suitable means forsperheating vthe molten mass of glass, may be employed, and any suitable apparatus whereby the temper 50 of that portion of the molten mass constitutling the sheet sourcey canbe broughtto the desired. degree to produce the best results,

achines, which invention is fully ri ally spirit of the present in-l '-a broken plan View of a part of the Working chamber and the covering therefor; Fig. 4 is a vertical central section on an enlarged scale of a part of Fig. l; and Fig. 5 is a ver- 70 tlical transverse section on the line V-V of 1g. 4. n f

Referring-to thedrawings, in which like reference characters indicate like parts ofthe apparatus, l is `a mass of molten glass, con. 75 tainedin iny suitable receptacle therefor, I and preferably in a continuous glass-drawing machihe of the character herein illustrated, in direct connection with a suitabley meltingjfurnace. Means are provided for superheating the molten? mass 1, and in the. present instance this is accomplished by permitting the .hot gases from the melting furnace on the side A, Fig. 4, to enter the work-v ing chamber containing the molten mass 1, and onthe side, B, heat is supplied from any suitable source, as from a vburner 2. From these sources of heat, the temperature ot'lthe molten mass 1 is raised to a degree mateabove that which it. is Ydesired the molten mass shall have at that `portion of its surface 3 from which the sheet of glass is to be drawn and which isherein referred to ,as the sheet sou1'ce..In order to reduce thetemperature of the sheet source 3 t-o 95 the desired degree, said mass of molten glass at the sheet source is caused to part with its surplus heat in any suitable manner. As hereJ shown, this is accomplished by exposing the sheet source tothe action' of the external atmosphere, whereby the\heatfreadily radiates.. from thesheet souroeffpar'e being taken. to controlvthe amount and rate' of radiation, in order that the desired temperaturey may be accurately secured. In the present instance, this result is accomplished by providinga cover vof refractory material for `the-molten mass 1, and so constructing 'certain .portions of said cover that the same may be adjusted both vertically 3nd horizontally, tothe end that the amount of the surface exposed to the atmosphere, and hence to radiation, may be regulated, andV 1 the amount of heated gases passing from the sources of heat on each side of the sheet mayI be `also controlled.' As here showin? two 'verse rods 5, which yrods are carried on eyebeams and havin cover tiles 4, 4, are provided on either side "of-the sheet, which tiles are curved downward lso as to come in close proximity -to the surface ofthe molten mass 1, as will 'be readily understood by inspection of Fig.l 1. These tiles are supported to swing on transbolts 6 Whose vupper ends are screw-threaded and pass through transverse metal beams 7 vtofwhich they are secured by nuts 8 on the screw-threaded ends of the rods. The beams 7 are supported at either'end on'longitudinally-extending metal supports 9 carried by depending rods 10 passing through the nuts 11 screw-threaded' thereon. It will e seen that by this arrangement, the vertical adjustment of the tiles 4 may be secured by raising and loweringthe metal vsupports 9, by the actionofv the nuts 11 on the screw-threaded rods 10,

' and that the horizontal adjustment vof 'the tiles'toward or from each other may be ses` ports 9, either toward or from the Acured b y moving the beams 7 along the supglass as desired. In most' cases it will befound that theA mass of molten glass 1 in the working chamber is hotter at or near the central portion thereof than along the sides, and it is de- Asirable, therefore, to I nake provision for radietinga greater amount of heat from the central portion `than at the sides. -VVi'th' this object 1n view, the -tiles 4 have their faces adjacent to .the sheet of glassy l2 formed on a curved, line, with the end portions of the tiles 4 4 nearer the lsheetlthan thel middle portion of thetiles (see Fig), so

that a, greater portionof the surface of the ','molten mass of glass isexposedy to the ycooling influences o f the atmosphereat the centerfthan at the sides.

,In an apparatus thus'fcoristructed, the` mass of molten glass is s'u'perheated by .the

'hot gases passing fromithe Y,melting tfurnace A .lessarea to'the'cooli fra greater or less amount to' the rear of the tiles' permittedto escape and'l pass over the sheetE source and@A in -regulgjtion'of the and ffrom suitableilbr p :and thek sheetvl sourcev is temperedb a greater or on of the atmosphere, and by, raisingor owering the-tiles 4l ofthe'heated gases upward to assist temperature of the sheet source, -A

sheet of l f table to Ygrip the sheet .'of.

1, Any suitable sheet-Ygla'ssidrawig means may be employed such, for example, as that shown in previous patents of mine,.,inwh1ch an endless carrier tablef13 is located in a chamber 14, and a sries of' gripA bars 15 on an endless carrier chain coperates with the GlassV 12'and advance'it through the chamber 14, the sheet passing over a suitable bending roll 16 to changeit -from a vertical to a horizolntalline 7 5 Aof movement. Moreover, any suitable means maybe employed 'for overcoming the wellis then passed into-.the chamber 14 at'the 90 opening y18, and isv reheatedl by'lthe application of heat `:from any suitable'source, as

bent over the bendingl roll 1 6 without breakburners 19, suiciently to'permit it to"bel ing. While the particular continuous sheet-- glass-drawin apparatus herein shown is an elicientone or the purpose,` it-is not` to be@ understood that the presenti invention is limited to the particular apparatus herein shown for drawingvthe -sheet,nor.that .it is limitedpto a continuous sheetglassy drawing apparatus, since any apparatus that vvilljact` to draw* a sheet of glassfrom a.,properly tempered sheetfs'ource .would be lwithinl the spirit of the lpresent invention., ,Fui-then. more, while I have herein shown :means Vfor exposing a greater or less area ofthe sheetv .open atmosphere, 'it is not to benunderstood source to .ithe'atmosphere .for the purpose of tempering the same by radiationv into the ythat the invention is limitedto this orfany v and scope ofythepresent invention..l- 4iI ,isclaimed `2 Santee iii.,

other specific means for ,eectingthe-temf'l paring of the .superheated mass yof: molten glass at ,the sheet source, ,fisincefany cans that Will act to thustemper thatgportigniof the superheated vmoltenjimassf-.constitutg g the sheet source, ,wo11ld bewithin'the spirit.y`

, I I-Iavingt ,deseribed my invention-,- what ,1, The m temperin wing,l sheet glass, which consists i :and the# .Calisinathe eseepeofheat trombe sheet source 0 1; areafromiwhich, the -sheet .iinifoim'throughputlits lengthrig. i A

.he proper drawing.temper,.s;1bst; 

